Panasonic has announced its first stand alone Blu-Ray Disc Recorder, the DMR-BW500. The DMR-BW500i can record up to 72 hours of Full High Definition 1080p recording onto the built in 500GB Hard Disk Drive (HDD) or 6 hours 40 min on a 50GB double layer Blu-ray Disc. In addition to video, it can record 5.1-channel Dolby Digital surround sound broadcasts and Blu-ray movies are played in studio-master quality at a frame rate of 24 frames per second. The new line of DVD and Blu-ray recorders and players are currently only available only in Japan but will be available in other markets in August. [panasonic]
Panasonic has recently released a new SC-NS570SD small dock, which is equipped with an SD Card slot, a CD player, an amplifier, AND an tuner AM / FM. This device delivers an output power of 2x15Watts. It is compatible with MP3, AAC, WMA audio files and records songs from a CD to AAC format directly on your SD memory card. Unfortunately, there is no word on pricing so far. [Akihabara]
June 20th, Japan’s Panasonic will release its waterproof 1Seg VIERA portable TV. You can get two versions called the SV-ME75 and SV-ME70 in three colors: black, pink, and white. They both feature a 5″ display in 480×272 and an SD card slot on the SV-ME75 so you can now record your favorite TV shows. [Akihabara]
Japan manufacturer Panasonic has decided to release their new RP-HJE900 earphones on June 15th, 2008. These earphone utilities Zirconia, a material generally used in the manufacture of fake diamonds which should suppresses sound distortion. Sound pressure sensitivity is around 100dB/mW, and frequency response is 6Hz–28 KHz (Impedance: 26Ω). The Panasonic RP-HJE900 also features removable cables. No word on pricing so far. [Akihabara] Read more
Panasonic will be releasing PZ850 series Plasma TVs this Summer. They come in 46-, 50- and 58-inch versions and will be available in mid-June along with a 65-incher in August. All three feature Picasa access, support for h.264 playback from the SD card slot, RS-232C, 24p native playback, and several display modes. Check out the video after the break. [Engadget] Read more
Some dudes at Photography BLOG have reviewed the recently released Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5 digital camera. The camera offers a T-Mobile HotSpot service and can upload photos directly to Google’s Picasa Web Albums. The DMC-TZ5 also features a 9.1MP sensor, 10x optical zoom, 28mm wide-angle lens, 720p movie mode, SD expansion slot, video output, red-eye correction, optical image stabilization, the Venus Engine IV and a 3.0-inch LCD monitor. Here is a verdict.
In summary the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5 is a marginally better camera than the TZ3, with improved image quality, an excellent LCD screen, useful Intelligent Auto mode for beginners, and the attraction of HD video. It’s a shame that Panasonic haven’t added any manual exposure modes, as with the recent DMC-LZ10 model, which is the only Panasonic compact camera to offer any control over aperture and shutter speed (apart from the ageing DMC-LX2). If you don’t mind sacrificing half the focal length, the 5x zoom DMC-LZ10 is an excellent alternative. But if you’re happy to accept the purely point-and-shoot nature of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5, that unchanged combination of huge focal range and compact dimensions is still too liberating to ignore.
[Photography BLOG via Digital Camera Blog]
Panasonic has released the SC-BT100 home theater system for the US this Spring for $1,000. It features a special connection to external devices, such as a video recorder or console, a Blu-ray player that supports just Profile 1.1, and functions without wires and bulky cords. Expect this to hit Europe very soon. [Gadgetblind]
Panasonic today unveiled its pricing for the new BD50 Blu-ray player. Priced at a hefty $700, the player sports Final Standard Profile 2.0, which includes multiple internet-based extras sourced from Blu-ray discs. The Panasonic BD50 also plays AVCHD (H.264) video and display JPEG images stored on an SD card. [Electronista]
Panasonic has brought the Lumix DM-TZ50 to the States finally. The DM-TZ50 will come with bonus features such as a T-Mobile HotSpot service and can upload photos directly to Google’s Picasa Web Albums. As a reminder, it features a 9.1-megapixel sensor, 10x optical zoom, 28mm wide-angle lens, 720p movie mode, SD expansion slot, video output, red-eye correction, optical image stabilization, the Venus Engine IV and a 3.0-inch LCD monitor. Get yours next month for $450. [Engadget via Digital Camera Blog]
If you’re tired of your dull OLED display on your Panasonic phone then there’s some hope out there. Panasonic has announced that they will be creating a new low-voltage (1.5v) plasma technology bringing more life to the OLED displays in brightness, thinness, and contrast and can be manufactured for less. The plasma technology will also be used with AT&T’s Mobile TV service, gas pumps, ATMs, and on HP printers with an exclusive 2-year contract. [Prnewswire via Upcoming Cell Phones]
